Fragile
by SumRandomPerson12
Summary: Lips pulled down into a tight and solemn line, hands clenched into tight fists as he resisted the urge to yell out and curse like a sailor at his terrible luck; this unfortunate situation in which she had found himself in. Yes, tonight he was meant to leave in order to get that extra bit of income his family so needed to keep not just he and his wife good and well...


**_(( So I finally remembered the password to this account, therefore I have moved this story over to this account from Endearing-Soliloquy.  
>Enjoy. ))<em>**

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><p><em>"But it's not that easy! Just listen to my side for a second. I have a family- a young daughter and a wife too! I need the money, yes, but I can't just-"<em>

_"Yes, yes, you've said that so many times now, however there is really no other option. If you really are in need of this money, then you're going to have to put all of that- your home life, your family- on hold."_

_"You can't just expect me to drop my family like that, sir!"_

_"There will be no further discussion on this topic. It's either you leave and continue to provide the essentials, or stay and watch as you and those you love fall into poverty. Your family, your choice, but if I don't see you with your suitcase here by the decided time, then you're fired. Keep that in mind."_

_"Your choice, Looker?"_

_"...A family is something fragile- something that can shatter or topple over with little force, unable to be fixed. So keep in mind, that when I show up tonight, that you've potentially destroyed a family- my family."_

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><p>Remininents of such a conversation brewed around in the male's mind as he rode a set of strides that would take him that one step closer to that house of his- of theirs-,and look of complete and utter seriousness danced around on his visage. Lips pulled down into a tight and solemn line, hands clenched into tight fists as he resisted the urge to yell out and curse like a sailor at his terrible luck; this unfortunate situation in which she had found himself in. Yes, tonight he was meant to leave in order to get that extra bit of income his family so needed to keep not just he and his wife good and well, but also that little child in which had only been introduced to the world almost a short five years ago. No longer was his pay enough to cover the demands of another mouth to feed, especially since the prices of so much as living in a house rose so drastically, and no longer was it enough to meet the materialistic demands of the mother of this child- the daughter in which he cherished so dearly.<br>In an attempt to keep such troubling thoughts- the reality of what would happen upon telling his loved ones of the news-, the dark-haired man simply casted his gaze around the small town covered in flowers of various colourings; to a house before his own whose lights flickered to a state where they no longer stayed alight; snuffled out by a mere flick of a switch. It was only now, in the dark and cruel cover of the night, bearing such negative news, did this middle-aged man only now realise how much he had taken for granted- how blind he had been to the fact that anything and everything could be taken away so quickly- so relentlessly- if it meant that another benefited from it. Fate was cruel, and the grips of time was that bit more deceiving, for look how both had turned on him so- less than an hour left with those he loved before years upon years of a broken family would be created. A daughter so young now forced to grow up without a father- a position in which he had taken such pride to-, and a wife forced to raise said child on her lonesome, with the money in which he would send over to be her only reminder of this man that had taken a vow to forever stand by her side...of this man who now had left her until whenever his contract ended- an unknown time, perhaps, however Looker held a feeling that it would be a long time spanning over many years.  
>Ah, but by then his daughter would be grown up- he would have missed out on so many of her milestones; so many points in her life in which he could have congratulated her for in the same way in which he had for her first words and first steps. Yes, the daughter he spent so much of his free time with would no longer have his aid in teaching her such life-changing moments, for it was he who had taken on board most of the parental tasks that maybe Grace, herself, should have done but simply did not do.<p>

It took but a few minutes of those slow strides devoid of his usual partner- that Croagunk of his whom substituted as another child- before he was there, standing on the small mat placed so messily in front of the main door to the house, his heart skipping at an erratic pace no thanks to nerves. A single hand of his rose up under a wave of unconsciousness- for his conscious mind protested against going inside- and placed itself atop of the doorknob, a slight wince darting across his features as he grew accustomed to the rounded piece of metal made freezing by the cold and windy climate of Floaroma Town.  
>A single, rather piqued sigh escaped from him lips as he slowly, and rather quietly, opened the front door, his gaze immediately switching over to the table in which stood in the centre of the room- the spot where a feminine figure could be seen seated at, a book grasped in her hands. Great, so it appears as though she was still awake, yet their young child was not- had she put her to bed? Or had the honey blonde simply put herself to sleep once more?<br>Regardless, the dark-haired male took those few steps in and was slow to close the door behind him with a small 'click'; a sound in which was just enough to cause for the mother to jump ever so slightly and whip her head around to face the person in which had just entered- her husband.

"...How did it go?" Came her questioning in time with her hands that placed said book down onto the surface of the table, her tone low almost akin to that if she was anticipating the worse. Yet Grace's expression was not one plagued with a frown, but rather conflicting to how she sounded; her features tainted with a slight curiosity- of a shallow kind of hope-, and it was this in which gave the man some courage to continue, his feet falling to the floor in order to carry himself over to where his wife was. A hand placed itself atop of the woman's shoulder in but a few moments, a look of a slight disappointment on the other's features as he braced himself to bear the unfortunate news to his wife, for how would she react? To put it simply Grace was a female in which one could never know just what she was going to do; her reactions and actions changing so quickly that it was almost hard for he- the man in which loved her and she loved- to keep up and know exactly what was to happen. Exciting to some, yet for a man of routine, it did get on his nerves occasionally.

"Not so well," Was his vague response, one in which evoked a crease of worry on the brunette females face, the fear of perhaps losing this- what she had worked towards for so many years- would be torn down. This marriage, that is, not the family.  
>"'Not so well' meaning what, dear? You are staying, right?"<p>

"Grace…" Looker trailed as he took but a step or so to be in front of the woman, moving his hands down to hold one of hers between both of his, a rather solemn expression plastered onto his visage. There was no way to beat around the bush in such a situation as this, no- he was to tell her straight since it was the only option he had. Besides, the last thing in which he wanted was to cause more pain than would already be born from this little predicament. "You know I love you, and you have to understand that I tried to convince them otherwise. However, you and I both know that we need the money if not for you, then for all of us. I can't stay, no, but I want to- you have to try and see this from my point before you jump to a conclusion."

Pale, feminine lips pursed themselves into a tight line, and her gaze drifted downwards as her brow furrowed just that little but more; a clear portrayal of how in which she was about to to take such words. For so many years she had been trying to get the man before her to pop the question- to get married- and it had been but four years since they had been wed. Although, when the brunette female looked back to it now, her vision was clouded over by the thought that perhaps he had only married her in order to give their child- whom she was pregnant with at the time and he had wanted for so long- a better life? Maybe it was the pressure of being told in an argument of theirs that she was pregnant? After all, she was not to blame, right? Using the sole fact that she was with child- and that he so desperately wanted a child; a daughter- to save a relationship?  
>Yet such thoughts did not matter at the time, and so the blue-eyed woman was quick to snatch her hand of his, folding her arms over her chest in a manner signalling that she was closing up; that he had made some kind of dreadful but obvious mistake.<p>

"...You're leaving me?" She questioned once more, her tone now devoid of emotion as she directed her frown up and over to the man she would have claimed but minutes ago that she loved. Despite this, however, she sounded slightly...heartbroken at such things? She- this strong, independent woman, broken over the fact that someone she never depended on- and never depended on her- was up and leaving to 'provide'? It killed her on the inside, so Grace took no hesitation to clench her open and shaking hands into fists; a frustrated growl muffling against her mouth as her torn gaze turned into one of a hateful glare.  
>She would have the final say. Even if he was her husband, and even if both claimed to love the other so. "After all I did for you? After all I gave up for you?"<br>"Grace, please-"  
>"Get <em>out<em>," She seethed through clenched teeth, her tone rather acidic as she watched the dark-haired man pause in slight shock, for not once had that tone ever been let through her lips and directed at himself. Why was she not understanding? Why was she refusing to acknowledge all in which he himself would now have to give up in order to so much as keep her, himself and their daughter alive and healthy? He simply could not form words; they all balled up and stuck in his throat so painfully- so cruelly that so much as ushering a sound was a near impossibility.

"Get out! Now!" Grace yelled, fed up with the fact that this man had been so blind- so idiotic- to pick his job over her, his wife. Why, she could not stand to look at him at this very second and that was not just because of the fresh tears that cascaded down her face! No, not at all! "How _dare_ you?! You heartless bastard! Get out!"

Yet he could not move, but only stare at this woman in which had never raised her voice in his presence before- this woman in which had always been so scarily calm that it would casually frighten most of the children around herself. It was obvious to Looker that she was not taking this well at all, that this was obviously a situation that he could not solve but consoling her with comforting words and false promises, for she was not a child- not someone innocent to the world. So he sat there, slightly dumbfounded, as the former Rhyhorn Racer continued to scream and shout profanities at him laced in sentences of the utmost hatred; a shallow kind, of course. And this continued for but a few minutes before a small figure caught in the dark-haired man's eye, casting his attention away from the hysterical woman for but but a few moments. Upon seeing the small girl's form- his daughter whose face was plagued by one of tiredness yet of an innocent kind of fear-, Looker let out a reluctant sigh and made his way over to the child who, in return, gazed up with a look akin to the expression on her visage as pale as his own, yet with a more questioning look.  
>Yes, they had fought before, but it was never as loud as this.<p>

"...Why is maman yelling?" She questioned in a voice hoarse from sleep, her hands tugging at the side of her clothing in a manner as though she herself was afraid to ask the older woman- something in which was obvious to the father as his eye travelled over her features in which held that look in which one could only bear in the early moments of being awake. Was she, perhaps, awake the entire time- feigning this tired emotion to try and find out what was going on? Or perhaps her mother's yells had, in fact, been enough to shake her from the confines of sleep? Regardless of the cause of such a thing, the dark-haired man was quick to crack a gentle yet somewhat forced smile, kneeling down to hold his arms out a little almost as an invitation for the young child to come over if she so pleased. Much to his expectations, it took Serena but a few moments to register such movement before she took but those few steps and shamelessly buried her head into the front of her father's shoulder, Looker simply wrapping his arms around the tiny child's frame.

"Come on," Came his murmur; something to buy him that little bit more time before he was to reveal of what was to happen. So, shifting his arms around a little, the father stood himself up, carrying his daughter- Serena- in that usual protective but loving hold of his, not once look back at his brunette wife as she continued to letting out angry sobs and yells. No, he could not deal with that right now. The guilt in which he felt at the moment- of an impending dread of how in which this part of him was going to react- was far too much, he thought as his strides carried him down through the short hallway and into the girl's room. Yet he could not simply leave without telling her, no, for that would be far too cruel; especially since he had originally planned on taking her- something that he later shot down after remembering that she was but a child, therefore she would not be able to deal with most things in which would come up. Even if it would give him those few minutes to see his daughter, it simply wasn't enough; was not good enough for this honey blonde child. So, as he set the infant down on her bed, reluctantly prying her arms from his form to sit her down, the father was quick to dig around in his pocket, attempting to find that little something in which he had gotten for the child. Yes, it was meant to be for her birthday, yet he would not be there for it, therefore he deemed for it to be better to give such a gift to her now- in person- rather than by mailing over to her on the date. A silver chain with a heart-shaped locket on the large side of such things- a necklace in which he had picked out for her which, as of yet, contained nothing inside, for that was her job and not his.

"Serena," He started after a few moments, his tone solemn as he held the little item out for the girl to see as he attempted to explain the situation, hoping that she would not react as bad as his wife had. After all, she was a child, no? So she would have to be so incredibly bright to completely understand. Masculine fingers undid the clasp of the piece of jewellery and was pick to move her hair aside and properly place the necklace around her neck, mumbling the rest of what he was to say as he did so. "You remember how your father's always working? And that it's important for me to go to work? Well...I- how do I put this...I have to go away for a while to work. You know I love you- and your mother too- but this isn't something I can say no to...so I won't be home for a little while."

A shocked kind of silence. That was all in which filled the room as Serena frowned all that little bit as she took the moment to register what he had said, her grey gaze flickering up to the man, eyeing him for that brief moment. Away? For work? The girl might have been little, yet this feeling of dread was far too great to be ignored by herself- something was bad; about to change for the worse. And even though she wanted nothing more than to burst into tears,she had to be strong for her father, no? Since she knew that, if she cried, then it would make everything worse because, yes, her father was a strong man, but not when those he loved were so upset. So she pushed herself forwards and once more clutched onto the dark-haired man's coat in a desperate attempt to hold herself together.  
>So a sigh passed through Looker's lips- one of relief but of guilt- as he accepted her actions wholeheartedly.<p>

"See? You're such a strong girl. You make me so proud," He mumbled in a rather soothing tone as he returned his daughter's equivalent of an embrace, encompassing her in such a gesture he would have used for much happier of occasions. One arm wrapped around that tiny form of hers, the other on the back of her head, it was now in which that same feeling of guilt tugged at the father's chest, for he knew that this girl- smart for her age much like he had been- had caught on to the fact that something was about to change for the worse. Yet, despite what his words had claimed about her, he could not help but notice the small trembles from the honey blonde child coming in waves more frequent than the last, and his lips pulled down once more as he leaned back a little in an attempt to look at the infant's face.

"...Serena...? What's wrong?"  
>"I-I don't want you to go!" Came the tiny girl's cry through these sobs- now finally audible- that tore at her form so, her grip on his coat tightening as her face buried itself into his chest in which held a scent and a feeling that she took far too much comfort in- that she knew far too well. A bittersweet expression laced itself into the man's pale countenance, however, as he simply gave his daughter's form a small and reassuring squeeze, for this was the reaction in which he had expected from her- not the one in which she had tried to give him mere moments ago.<br>Cries of 'you can't leave!' and the occasional 'take us with you!' erupted from this tiny girl, and it did not help her father's feeling of immense guilt, no. So he rested his chin atop of her head and closed his eyes shut, just thankful that she had not pushed him away like his wife had so quickly done, albeit they were both losing something different to the other.

"I'll be back soon, kiddo," Came his attempt to try and calm the grey-eyed child down, his tone somewhat shaky and unsure of himself as he held his daughter close- this little being in which he cherished so much. "I'll come see you in a few months. I promise-"  
>"-D-Don't you love us...?!"<p>

"Of course I love you two," He responded in that tone seeming calm- even if it was a rather cheesy one-, feeling all that bit more guilty in regards to her words. Tilting his head down, Looker simply nestled his face into the infant's hair, contorted it and placed a gentle kiss in amongst those honey-coloured locks with but a single tear cascading down his cheek. But he tried to stop himself from this- from showing how much this whole situation affected him-, for he had to be strong for his daughter, no? Yet these tears would not stop so easily, and so many more found themselves caught in amongst the long strands of the child's hair, unknownst to Serena who continued to sob into her father's chest. "I- I love both you and your mother so very much. You know that..."  
>"Then...T-Then why are you leaving?!"<br>"For you and your mother," The male said, though it honestly did pain him that this girl he cherished so much was still far too young to comprehend the circumstances- that he would have to lie to her in order to get her to calm down. "To make sure that both of you will be okay. After all...someone has to go and catch the bad guys-"

And, it was at this that the older man took his moment; forcing a goofy smile onto his face as he leant back and tilted his daughter's chin up to look at him. Yes, the sight of her face swollen from her tears hurt to see, yet he needed to give this girl something to crack a smile over, for it was far more important than taking his leave. So, with this forced yet so very cheesy grin plastered onto his visage, Looker used his free hand- or rather, the thumb on said hand- to point back at himself in a false sense of pride. "-and that someone just so happens to be your father- me."

It was a shallow, forced and painful laugh in which burst from the young girl's lips at such actions- such words- as her gaze locked onto that of her father's; a colour in which she had so clearly inherited from him. It was bittersweet, yes, yet Serena could not help but go along with her father's corny little jest, placing her hands flat on his jacket as swollen eyes continued to stare at his features.

"...You?" She questioned in that same shaky tone in a manner so fragile that it was almost as though her voice was made of glass- ready to topple over and shatter with the smallest amount of force. Yet she was simply going along with this, for it was a running gag between father and child; something in which they would so light-heartedly joke about in tones so happy it was almost as though they had not once experienced hurt nor sadness. But this time was different, this time both of their happiness was forced; his one to try and give his daughter hope and hers to try and convince her father that she was strong, or at least going to be for him. Looker was not that blind, however, and knew of this the moment in which he had heard that tiny voice speak up, quick to stand up from her bed and gently swing her around in a circle, a simple squeak of protest erupting from the little girl as she clung to his neck for dear life. Indeed, it was this moment of such masked actions in which caused for both members of the family to lift their sorrows that tiny little bit.

"Yes, me," The dark-haired male responded with a played huff, ceasing the spinning to properly hold his only child once more- this honey-haired girl but the innocent age of four, soon to be five in but a few months. He would miss this so; these moments in which he could so carelessly muck around and act as though he himself were a child once more, encompassed in the fleeting moments with this girl of his that reintroduced that childish innocence and curiosity into his life that had been torn down by the harsh realities of humanity no thanks to his line of work. That smile of hers- that light-hearted giggling and even those many flower crowns in which Serena would make for the sole purpose for adorning his head with for a good hour so so; he would miss them all so very much.  
>"Have some faith in your dad, would you now? Just you watch, kiddo, because one day my name will be in those papers- on the news, even. Detective Looker- your father; me- the famous member of the International Police, and one day I promise I will take you under my wing. One day, when you are older, I will take you out on a case or two- or even three. I promise. How does that sound, Serena?"<p>

A slow nod. That was all in which he received in regards to a response as the young girl snuggled her head down into the crook of his neck, the fatigue from her hysteria finally settling in with the fact that she had been woken in the middle of the night by the older man. So the father made a slow and gentle movement of placing but a single hand on the back of her head, attempting to provide some kind of comfort and to keep her secure in the hold, not exactly wanting to drop her like he so feared he might. It took but a few moments until she finally succumbed to that wave of fatigue- falling asleep-, and Looker simply exhaled in a piqued manner as he continued to hold his daughter close, placing a gentle kiss on the side of her head as his strides took them both over to her door, having quickly deemed that handing the infant over to her mother was far better than leaving her on her own tonight.

"Here's looking at you, kid." He mumbled as he walked through the doorway, only to be met with the sight of his wife in such a hysterical position unfitting to one who was standing much like she was. With a posture stiff and her face buried into her hands, it was clear that the brunette female was not taking this well still, for who would? A partner- a lover- in which you had devoted your life to being beside so suddenly leaving for the 'benefit of the family'? Why, Grace was not buying it at all, and so had jumped to the conclusion that the male really was leaving- that he did not care about her at all. Her gaze flickered up for that brief moment and it was then that he could see just how badly the older woman was taking this, for it was a glare so hateful and hurt in which directed itself onto his form- to him and his sleeping daughter- for but a split second before she buried her face back down.  
>So he swallowed that lump in his throat and, in careful and quiet steps, made his way back over to the woman, placing his once free hand up once more to hold the back of the infant's head. When he did finally make his way properly to her, however, his hand drifted away from the honey blonde and over to settle itself upon his wife's shoulder and gestured with his body to their only child, wanting to at least try to leave her on a good or at least hopeful note.<p>

"Grace, please just listen to me. You're a strong woman- you can do this. Take care of Serena; she's only young. Raise her well, but remember to take of yourself too, alright? I love y-"  
>"-Get out of my house!" The older female shrieked once more, shrugging the man's hand away from her shoulder with one rather aggressive push of her shoulder and her fingers digging down into the sides of her face as the tears still streamed down her face swollen from hysteria. Yet the man- the husband to this woman- used a hand to remove her own from her features, forcing a gentle smile onto those lips of his before gesturing the girl in which still clung to his form, wrapped in a wave of unconsciousness.<p>

"I love you. Remember that," He said, knowing that the brunette would only start yelling once more if he spoke of anything else as he urged their daughter into her arms- said woman reluctantly complying to the action. With the sleeping girl so awkwardly in her mother's hold, the dark-haired male knew he could not stay any longer, for he himself was now struggling to keep composed. So, with hesitant strides, Looker simply made his way over to the door, taking but a brief glance back at the two females- his closest family- in which he now had to leave in order to provide for, the smile he had forced shaken away to that miserable line once more as he spoke but a few words and then took his leave."...I love you both."

Within mere moments of that door closing and but a few strides had been taken by the dark-haired man did the sound of a heavy 'thump'- akin to that of something of some kind of weight being dropped to the floor carelessly- become muffled by the walls of the house, yet he paid it no heed.  
>After all, if he was to go back now, then he knew that he could not bring himself to leave.<p> 


End file.
